Friday, November 14, 2014

Thomas's First Post--"Friday's With Tom"

Hey you lovely people it is I, Tom Emery and today is my
first blog post here on this blog/website I would like to introduce myself.
Well for starters, you know my name, Tom Emery. I sit here watching videos
thinking of what to write next. I guess I could talk about what I do for
entertainment. I watch a LOT of YouTube videos. Mostly video game reviews,
playthroughs and commentary. The best YouTube channels I watch are primarily
Minecraft based. For those who have kids who play Minecraft, you know what it
is. If not I'll tell you, it was a game created in Sweden (I believe) that
became really popular around 2011 with their “Official” release (even though
the game was public and for purchase since early 2009 [I believe]). What you do
in Minecraft is simply survive the nights when monsters spawn (appear for those
not game savvy) and defeat the Ender Dragon. Literally, a dragon. Its pretty
easy to do if you know what you're doing. “What is Ender?” you might be asking?
Well it was the creator's play on words of “Slender” because he based a
character off the infamous “Slender Man.” Some of you may recall that I had a
fear of Slender Man but I'm sure my mother told you that story already so I
won't go into detail about it. But there is more to Minecraft than just
surviving the nights and killing dragons. A LOT of people use it to build large
structures and environments. For those who play Minecraft know a few people on
the web who create large structures such as cathedrals, landmarks, puzzle
games, and adventure maps. Its a really fun game and if you are really creative
and/or you want a position in architecture, Minecraft will help you with
buildings (even though there isn't gravity/physics so don't build a structure
that doesn't have any real support however there are mods for that). Back to
the YouTube part, Here are some channels that you could check-out:

What else do I watch? I watch commentators play World of
Tanks, a game that pits you against 15 enemy players with 14 allies and you
fight to either destroy all enemy tanks or capture their flag. The tanks you
can play as are based around the end of WWI to the end of the Vietnam War.
There are currently six countries that you can choose tanks from: America,
Britain, France, Germany, Soviet Union, and China. And there are five classes
of tanks to choose from: light tank, medium tank, heavy tank, tank destroyer,
and artillery. There are 10 tiers of tanks to choose from. Tier 1 tanks are
tanks from the end of WWI all the way to Tier 10 which are tanks that were made
after the Vietnam War. If you want to check it out its free-to-play at http://worldoftanks.com/ its really fun and
I highly recommend it if you're looking for some fun (P.S. A lot of immature
children play [immature meaning kids that call each other names] so be careful
and don't get discouraged). If you want to watch some videos of people who play
World of Tanks, check out these YouTube channels:

A Little About Me...

I started this blog to help bring awareness to the realities of schizophrenia. I wanted to be sure that people got a perspective other than the one that the media portrays. I write honestly about my feelings and thoughts and do what I can to give a picture of what my son deals with inside his own mind. With his blessing I have told, and will continue to tell, our story so that others can better understand what it's like to live with and love someone living with schizophrenia.

A Little About Thomas...

He is 21 years old and is living with paranoid schizophrenia. He has fought this illness since junior high but was diagnosed in October of 2012. He is a brave, strong, and determined young man but his presence is sweet, compassionate and unassuming. He is the light of my life, my reason to be and who I fight for, constantly attempting to pry loose the grip that this illness has on him.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's article on caregiving featuring me and Thomas

I was so honored to be asked to share my experience as a caregiver. Thank you Everyday Health for publishing my story to help others like me.

My Article Featured On PsychCentral.com

This is my article for PsychCentral. I was invited by Tamara Hill, MS, NCC, LPC-BE (a regular blogger for PsychCentral) to participate in her Caregivers, Family & Friends week where I got to share a personal story about myself and Thomas and our experiences living with schizophrenia. I am honored to be a part of PsychCentral and consider this one of my best contributions as a guest blogger thus far.

My guest blog post for Healthy Place

I am honored to be featured on Healthy Place as a guest blogger. This has been a dream of mine for over a year that has finally come true! Check it out!

Featured On The Caregiver Space

The Proverbial Campfire: Support for Those Caring for Loved Ones with Schizophrenia